Introduction: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt)-derived nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) promotes inflammation by sustaining immune cell viability and promoting cytokine production.1 Pharmacological inhibition of Nampt blocks activity of the pro-inflammatory cytokine visfatin, which has also been linked to inflammatory conditions such as pain and obesity.2,3,4 The aim of this study was to determine whether treatment with the visfatin inhibitor, FK866, has any anti-inflammatory and/or analgesic effects in normal and obese rats.

Conclusion:These data show that FK866 has powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties at higher dose, suggesting that visfatin plays a crucial role in inflammatory pain. The potentiated response to pain and inflammation obsedved in obese rats fits well with the hypothesis that obesity is a chronic low-grade inflammatory disorder. The reversal of this effect by blocking visfatin indicates a key role for this cytokine in pain pathogenesis with obesity.